


Court Life

by RedBloodWhiteSnow



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Genre: M/M, Saiunkoku Monogatari AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 16:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9079822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedBloodWhiteSnow/pseuds/RedBloodWhiteSnow
Summary: Kurogane, an impoverished patrician, gets paid a ridiculous amount of money by Lady Yuuko to help the newly crowned King of Ceres ease into his job. The King turns out to be more than a handful.
(Fai is known with his original name Yuui in this story).





	

Kurogane is frustrated to tears. Right after moving to Ruval Castle, he has realised that the deal Lady Yuuko made with him has a big catch. A hundred gold coins a month to be a companion of the young King for a year. The King has never been outside the castle and thus needs someone with the experience to give him some perspective. Kurogane is a perfect candidate for such a task, or so the Witch – as people often call the all-knowing Lady Yuuko behind her back - tells him. He is of respectable birth and thus wouldn't attract consternation from the more conservative corner of the Court, yet he has also seen something of life, having worked since his adolescence to support his genteel but impoverished family. Kurogane isn't greedy but only a fool would turn down such an offer. Syaoran should be able to continue his schooling at the Academy without worrying about money problem, and Tomoyo can have the new tailoring contraption she has been sighing dreamily about. There are... rumours about the new King who has ascended the throne for barely a month, but for that amount of money, Kurogane will grit his teeth and deal.

Little did he know that reality is worse than the rumours and then some. The first time he met Yuui, as the bastard insists on being called, the King of Ceres was sitting on a tree branch in a small inner garden of the Castle like an overgrown cat. The clothes he wore were of fine materials but old and soiled. The blond hair was slipping from the knot and fell all over his face and his shoulders. He looked more like a vagabond than a resident of the Castle, much less a monarch. The smile he aimed at Kurogane was vacant but the blue eyes were wary.

"Hello, who are you? I've never seen you here before."

Unkempt and undisciplined or not, the bastard was still the King and thus Kurogane tried to keep his face neutral. He bowed as etiquettes dictated. "I am Kurogane of Suwa, Your Majesty. I'm here on Lady Yuuko's order to, er, provide you with assistance and companionship."

The shithead's face looked perfectly innocent but the words were completely outrageous. "I thought I had told her I don't need any bedwarmer."

Kurogane lost his temper right there. "What the hell are you talking about?" He yelled. "She said you need help with your work as King. What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be learning your duties with your tutors in the office?" He had met the court officials in charge of showing the new King the rope, three prodigies from great families of the realm by the names of Lord Kimihiro, Lord Shizuka, and Lady Himawari. The report of their intelligence must have been exaggerated, for they only bickered among each other instead of looking for their charge when the asshole had given them the slip.

An inscrutable smile passed through the artfully carefree face. "Oh, about that. Can you be a dear and tell them I won't come?"

"Tell them yourself if you want to play truant," Kurogane scowled.

"I don't want to. Aren't you paid to work for me anyway?"

"Not by you, and not to be your errant boy." It was painfully clear that Kurogane needed to set some firm boundaries if he was to fulfill his side of the bargain and earn the gold the Witch promised him. "Get down here. You will change your clothes and then get to work."

"Or what? Are you going to make me?"

That pretty much sealed it. Kurogane climbed up and wrestled with the bastard to get him down the wretched tree. They ended up causing such a commotion that the entire Castle showed up. After suffering seemingly endless lectures about appropriate behaviours from the older members of the guards, Kurogane and the King were left alone with each other again. Casually as if he hadn't been manhandled by Kurogane, the asshole commented. "Well, that was more fun than I've seen since forever."

Kurogane didn't dignify that with a reply. He only glowered. That baby who was masquerading as a King laughed gratingly. "Fine, fine, you win. I'll go see my tutors." He grimaced at the words “tutors” in distaste but kept his words.

Unfortunately that was only the beginning of Kurogane's troubles. Every day is a repeat of that first day's struggle, if only with less violence. Yuui tries to slip away and Kurogane has to run after him. It becomes apparent to Kurogane that he is less a companion than a babysitter. The tutors are keen on getting the King into shape but they limit themselves to the office area and never set foot in the inner part of the Castle where the royal family live. Lady Chitose, the Chief of Staff who is new to the job herself, seems sensible but she is over-indulgent of the asshole's whims. Kurogane is completely on his own when it comes to making the bastard show up for work. 

In addition to that, Kurogane's charge has a plethora of incomprehensible habits, such as the insistence to keep all lights in his apartment on when darkness falls until sunrise and the nightly reading until he drops. No wonder he is always so unsettled during the day. Kurogane has half the mind to just sit on him at night to make sure he sleeps properly, but he has the feelings the bastard will seize on it to mess with him and he doesn't want to deal with that yet.

The thing is, it is not simple as Yuui being a spoilt brat. Kurogane isn't as well-versed in the court's dealings as Tomoyo, but everyone knows about the bloody intrigues not too long ago that had gotten all other candidates for the throne assassinated or executed before the previous King too died from illness. The young King he is hired to babysit at an exorbitant price is only King because there is no one else to take on the job. Kurogane can tell he is scared underneath all of the silly antics. His lips utter careless jokes, but his eyes carefully track every action of everyone in sight as if to prepare for a sudden attack. At night, when he thinks Kurogane is asleep, he stands at the door of the small room in the King’s apartment given to Kurogane and watches, so much that Kurogane suspects he has been contemplating removing the unknown and unwanted companion installed to follow his every step. And no King would insist on seeing to his own meals and eating alone if he didn’t take the threat of poisoning very seriously. Sheltered aristocrat as he is, his life can't have been easy.

Still, the King can't keep going on as he does now. He has been doing just the bare minimum and letting the court officials handle most of the work. Politics isn't Kurogane's forte but he is aware that anxiety has been brewing in the Court and may soon bleed into the general populace. Ceres needs a monarch of the Blood for more than regular governance. There are numerous magical covenants tied to the royal line yet the prideful and selfish jackasses have nearly wiped themselves out. Whether he wants to or not, Yuui’s presence is the difference between peace and chaos. It is unfair, Kurogane admits to himself, to demand such commitment from someone who wasn’t expected to inherit and has been so scarred from the infightin. However, they are all stuck as things stand and nothing can be resolved when the King of Ceres keeps running away both figuratively and literally. 

"Do you know what he was like as a Prince?" Kurogane asks Tomoyo one day during their tea together. She works in the Castle as the court tailor since forever and so he can still see his sister daily even after moving in the Royal Residence.

Tomoyo arches an eyebrow. "I have the feelings you want to ask me something else."

"Don't go all court intrigue on me now," Kurogane complains.

Tomoyo laughs. "It's you who are sneaky first, brother dear." She becomes solemn. "He was very sweet. And very lonely.”

Kurogane snorts. “Somehow I doubt the sweet part.” 

Tomoyo taps him gently on the forehead. “Don’t be mean. Do you want me to finish what I have to say or not? Before the coronation, he used to sneak to my workshop and I would give him sweets."

Kurogane has never heard that detail about the King and his sister before. He isn't surprised Tomoyo hasn't told him though. She is a model of honour and discretion. It does however give him an idea. "What kind of sweets does he like?"

Tomoyo quirks a mischievous smile. "Why are you asking me that? Are you planning to bribe the very King of Ceres?"

Kurogane puts on his blankest face that he knows Tomoyo will see through anyway. "I don't know what you are talking about. Can you tell me or not?"

She can and does. Armed with the knowledge of what kind of candies and jellies and pastries that are usually available in the Castle and those that are not and how to get them, Kurogane begins to form his plan.

It'd be a lie if Kurogane says he doesn't feel some satisfaction to see the looks of surprise on Yuui's face when he spots the small bowl of fruit jellies on his desk. He picks a piece and carefully sniffs it like a cat checking out the food it comes across. Of course the words that come out of his mouth are completely disagreeable. "Are you planning to poison me?"

Kurogane glares. "Give me some credits. I'm not that clumsy."

"Then what are these for?" The asshole is acting nonchalant but he is curious. Good.

"I want to make a deal. Go to work and you will have all these jellies." It sounds absurd when Kurogane says it out loud. However, he is not going to call off the plan now.

Yuui snorts incredulously. "This is a silly way to bargain with me, Sir Companion."

Kurogane snatches back the bowl. As he has gambled, the airhead yelps. "Hey, it's mine." 

"No, it's mine,” Kurogane puts a piece in his mouth for good measure. “It’s me who paid for it. I’ll give it to you if you show up to work.”

The sulking looks on Yuui’s face is so comical Kurogane would laugh if he didn’t have to keep a poker face to drive it home to the bastard that he is serious about getting his deal.  
“Are you blackmailing your King, you nag?”

“If I’m a nag then what are you?” Kurogane cajoles. “Come on, just go to work for today, and you’ll have all of these for yourself.”

Yuui unexpectedly laughs. It is surprisingly infectious. “Under all that grumpiness, you are a softie, aren’t you? Fine, I will go and suffer Kimihiro’s yelling. You’d better not eat all of those when I’m occupied.”

“I’m not a cheater like you,” Kurogane retorts. He is relieved that his plan works. At the same time, he has to start making calculations about future bribery for this impossible King. He doesn’t dare think about how long he can go on with this trick yet. 

“Who knows, those are pretty addictive,” Yuui sings-songs. “Oh, and say thank you to Lady Tomoyo for me.”

The deal with the jellies seems to get the prodigal King to warm up to Kurogane a little. At the surface, their interactions remain the same with the daily arguments and bargaining. However, Yuui stops watching Kurogane from the corner of his eyes and the nightly spying also gradually ceases. Lady Yuuko is very pleased with the King’s improved diligence and so in addition to the promised payment, a casket of wine is delivered to Kurogane’s home to Syaoran’s confusion and Tomoyo’s delight. Listening to Tomoyo’s stories about what she and Syaoran have been up to makes Kurogane homesick, but he is determined to see his current mission through.

As the snow melts and the long winter gives way to the short but invaluable crop growing season, the air begins to be filled with pollen and Kurogane steels himself for his most miserable time in the year. He appreciates the vitality of the season, but he could do without it making him sneeze, his nose running, and his eyes watering all the time. Yuui, the bastard, laughs at him. The laughing does not last long as Kurogane soon falls to a cold after one too many times he underestimates the chillness, being distracted by the silly King. It is just common illness that won’t last more than two or three days with rest, but Yuui panics and it makes Kurogane’s headache worse.

“Are you sure you haven’t eaten or drunk anything abnormal?” the King of Ceres paces back and forth in Kurogane’s small room. Kurogane wants to shake him but he is pushed back down every time he tries to get up. “Who served your meals for last week? Damn it, I should have made you eat with me.”

“No thanks,” Kurogane grimaces. “As if I’d miss the royal chef’s food for your cooking. Relax, it’s just a regular cold. Let me rest and it’ll be over.”

“But you never know if it’s something else,” Yuui wrings his hands. “Wait here, I’ve asked Lady Chitose to prepare the test for what you may be poisoned with and all possible antidotes.”

Fortunately for Kurogane, Lady Chitose appears with a valuable ally before he has to go through all that, which he is certain would make him only sicker. “Your Majesty, please calm down. He has been having meals with me or with Lady Chitose. This is just his usual illness, I promise. Please let me take care of it.”

Kurogane scowls at “his usual illness” but at least Yuui stops his pacing. “Lady Tomoyo! I’m so, so sorry I let this happen to your brother. How can I…”

“If you want me to get better, let Lady Chitose and Tomoyo have a look and decide what to do,” Kurogane cuts in. This silliness has gone on long enough. “Now shoo. Go and do your work before Lord Kimihiro gets angry and messes up the office again. His colleagues won’t be of any help with that.”

“Don’t you have anything else to say besides that tune?” the blasted King frowns.

Tomoyo smiles. “Kurogane doesn’t like people worry over him so he acts rougher than he feels inside. Please don’t mind him.”

“Fine, fine, gang up on me, don’t you,” Kurogane grumbles.

“Is it really nothing serious, my Lady?” Apparently Yuui hasn’t gotten over whatever hang-ups he has. Thank goodness he seems to listen to Tomoyo, who reassures him again with a certain “Yes, Your Majesty. Lady Chitose already orders the medicine to be brewed, and I will be here. Everything will be fine.”

At last, the impossible King gets the message. “I’d better get out of the way then. Thank you so much for coming. I… don’t know what to do.”

Tomoyo takes Yuui’s arm and walks with him out of the room, whispering what Kurogane is sure to be words of comfort and reassurance. Kurogane exhales in relief and closes his eyes. After a while, something soft and cool is placed on his forehead. He opens his eyes again and sure enough, Tomoyo is there.

“He shouldn’t make you come here. There is nothing to worry about,” Kurogane mumbles.

Tomoyo taps gently on his head as she usually does when she wants to chide him. “You’re my brother. Of course I’m worried, you impossible boy. Don’t argue with me,” she fixes the cool cloth on his forehead. “About His Majesty, no, Yuui, illness isn’t harmless in this Castle. He has seen people get ‘sick’ and die too many times for his age.”

“But I’m just a nobody hired for a temporary job here. No one cares about me. Enough for such a plot anyway. Also I don’t like that Witch but I’m sure she wouldn’t let any assassination attempt get near a person so close to the King.”

“Well, fear isn’t rational, Kurogane,” Tomoyo smiles sadly. “Enough talking. The porridge and medicine are ready. Take them and rest.”

Kurogane knows better than to be contrary to his sister. There are still so many things he wants to ask her about Yuui and the Castle, but he suspects there are certain things he’ll have to find out for himself. In any case, he has to get rid of this blasted cold first. He eats the porridge and drinks the bitter medicine and falls asleep.

When Kurogane wakes up, it is already night. Tomoyo is sewing something by the table. She must have asked her tools to be brought to this room. Next to her, Yuui plays with the threads and needles. It’s so peaceful and domestic Kurogane has to smile and tease.

“Careful or you’ll stab yourself with those.”

Yuui startles. Under the candlelight, his eyes are still very blue. “You’re awake?”

Tomoyo doesn’t stop working. “He’ll insist that he has recovered and demands to get back to his duties. Please make sure he stays here and rests for at least three days, Your Majesty.”

Yuui looks between Kurogane and Tomoyo, his eyes very wide. Then he nods. “I understand, My Lady.” 

“Hey, why does no one even ask for my opinion?” Kurogane complains. It’s just unfair how outnumbered he is.

“Because you’ll just say things like you’re fine and no worry,” the asshole giggles. “Besides, no one argues with Lady Tomoyo.” The smile he gives Kurogane is utterly silly, but his eyes are sparkling like jewels with good humour. For the first time, Kurogane sees the fabled charm of the tempestuous royal clan. Filing it under things he will process later, he hrmphms and goes back to sleep.


End file.
